Staff Accountant - Payroll

TeleSpecialists LLC•Fort Myers, FL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Staff Accountant - Payroll supports accurate and timely payroll processing across multiple legal entities and states while maintaining ownership of the accounting, reconciliation, and compliance activities associated with payroll. This role combines hands-on payroll administration with general ledger accounting, balance sheet reconciliations, month-end close, payroll tax support, financial analysis, and audit readiness. The position requires a strong accounting foundation, working knowledge of multi-state payroll taxation and compliance, and the ability to independently investigate discrepancies and analyze large, complex data sets.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting required. A bachelor’s degree in Finance or a closely related field may be considered with substantial accounting coursework and relevant payroll-accounting experience.
Two (2) to four (4) years of experience in payroll accounting, general accounting, or a combination of both required.
Experience processing or reviewing multi-state payroll required.
Experience working within a multi-entity environment required.
Working knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll taxation required.
Strong general ledger accounting experience, including preparation and reconciliation of journal entries and balance sheet accounts, required.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including the ability to analyze and reconcile large data sets, required.
Strong understanding of the relationship between payroll processing and the general ledger.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to research discrepancies through resolution.
Ability to analyze complex payroll and accounting data, identify trends, and recognize unusual transactions or variances.
Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
Ability to independently manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to handle confidential employee and financial information with discretion.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to collaborate effectively across Finance, Human Resources, Benefits, Tax, Legal, payroll providers, and other internal and external stakeholders.
Strong ownership mindset with the ability to identify control or process issues and drive them through resolution.
Ability to maintain clear, organized, and audit-ready accounting and payroll documentation.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting a payroll system conversion or implementation preferred.
Experience working with an ERP or financial accounting system preferred.
Experience with payroll tax reconciliations, quarterly filings, and year-end payroll processes preferred.
Working knowledge of GAAP as it relates to payroll, employee benefits, accruals, and compensation accounting preferred.
Experience supporting internal or external financial audits preferred.

Responsibilities

Process and review multi-state, multi-entity payroll across bi-weekly and semi-monthly payroll cycles.
Validate payroll inputs and outputs to ensure the accuracy of earnings, deductions, taxes, benefits, garnishments, and other payroll-related transactions.
Review payroll registers prior to finalization and proactively identify unusual transactions, variances, or potential errors.
Maintain accurate payroll records across multiple legal entities and employee populations.
Research and resolve payroll discrepancies involving employee taxation, deductions, compensation, and entity allocation.
Support payroll system implementations, conversions, and enhancements, including data validation, parallel testing, configuration review, troubleshooting, and post-go-live reconciliation.
Maintain working knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax requirements and review employee work locations, state tax setups, and withholding configurations for accuracy.
Identify and research multi-state payroll tax issues, including employees working or residing across different jurisdictions.
Assist with payroll tax reconciliations and ensure payroll tax liabilities recorded in the general ledger agree to payroll records.
Partner with payroll providers, HR, Tax, and Finance to resolve tax notices, discrepancies, and jurisdictional issues.
Support quarterly and year-end payroll tax activities, including reconciliation of payroll records to Forms 941 and W-2 reporting.
Own payroll-related general ledger reconciliations and ensure payroll registers reconcile to posted journal entries.
Prepare and post payroll-related journal entries, including payroll and employer tax expense, accrued payroll and PTO, payroll tax liabilities, employee benefit deductions, 401(k), HSA/FSA and insurance-related activity, and other payroll-related accruals and liabilities.
Perform detailed balance sheet reconciliations and investigate outstanding or unusual reconciling items.
Research and resolve payroll-related general ledger variances across multiple entities.
Support intercompany accounting and appropriate allocation of payroll expenses between legal entities, when applicable.
Support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities for payroll-related accounts and maintain audit-ready supporting documentation and schedules.
Perform analytical reviews of payroll activity and investigate unexpected period-over-period fluctuations.
Use Excel and other reporting tools to analyze large payroll data sets, identify trends, and isolate discrepancies.
Develop and maintain payroll reconciliations and control reports designed to identify errors before payroll is finalized or financial statements are closed.
Identify opportunities to strengthen payroll controls, improve accuracy, and reduce manual processes, and take ownership of identified issues through resolution.
Support internal and external audits by preparing documentation, reconciliations, and payroll support schedules.
Work closely with Finance, HR, Benefits, Tax, and Legal to resolve payroll and accounting issues.
Coordinate benefits deductions, including 401(k), health insurance, HSA/FSA, and other employee programs.
Communicate payroll discrepancies and required corrections clearly and professionally and partner with internal stakeholders to improve payroll processes, controls, reporting, and system functionality.